Pinnaplasty (earlobe reduction)

What is pinnaplasty?

Pinnaplasty, or otoplasty, is a surgical procedure to re-size or re-shape the ears.

What does surgery involve?

The procedure may be performed under local or general anaesthetic. Your surgeon will advise which anaesthetic is the most appropriate in your case. The procedure to reduce or re-shape an earlobe usually takes approximately 30-45 minutes per ear.

Your surgeon will remove excess tissue and use fine internal and external stitches to re-shape the earlobe.

How soon will I recover?

After surgery there will be small, red scars on the ears. After 4-6 months the colouring will fade to a pale silvery colour.

What are the risks involved?

Earlobe reduction surgery is commonly performed and is generally a safe operation. Nonetheless, all surgery and anaesthetic have some risk associated. Risks to all surgeries include infection, excessive bleeding, adverse reaction to anaesthetic or blood clotting.

How to refer your patients to St Joseph’s

We value our strong relationships with GPs and other healthcare providers. On the right you will find useful information including our consultant directory, calendar of our monthly CPD evenings and our GP newsletters.

Exclusion Criteria

In addition to conducting monthly CPD sessions at St Joseph’s, our Consultants would be delighted to visit your practice and talk about conditions that are of interest to your team. We also invite GPs and other healthcare referrers to visit the hospital to view the facilities and meet the team. Please email gp@stjosephshospital.co.uk to arrange.